You can tell when an audience has stopped listening to you during a presentation. Phones come out, and attendees surreptitiously text underneath the table. Instead of leaning forward and nodding along with your points, they begin slouching or tapping their feet. The more brazen may even start whispering to one another.
What to Do When You’re Losing Your Audience During a Presentation
Effective speakers have to ensure that audiences are actually listening to their remarks. If you notice people starting to drift off, try four techniques: 1) Move around the room. You don’t want to overdo this maneuver, but used judiciously, it keeps audience members guessing where you’ll go next, which means their eyes are trained on you. 2) Speed up or slow down the pace of your remarks. When you deliberately change speed, people take note. 3) Lower your voice. So often, the impulse when people aren’t paying attention is to go louder, faster, and noisier. Go for the unexpected and get quiet. 4) Introduce a story or analogy. If your presentation has gotten too technical, citing a real-world parallel can help make your point in a way everyone can understand.